1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to technology for distributing different types of digital content, such as digital still images, digital movies, digital music, computer programs, digital literature, or decrypted versions of those, from a server through a communications network to a user's computer system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A large number of servers for distributing different types of digital content are present on the Internet. Digital images are taken as the example for this explanation, but the situation is the same for other types of digital content as well.
Currently, digital images distributed through the Internet from web sites are copyright-free images or images under the copyright of the webmaster of each web site. At this time, there are no servers that can legally distribute digital images which are strictly controlled under a third party's copyright, through the network to a large number of users. Because it is not technologically possible at this time to control copyrighted digital content scattered throughout the communications network, no one cares to transmit his or her own high-value works through the communications network.
Meanwhile, demand is very high for many of the images strictly controlled under copyright and the prices are accordingly high. Typical examples include photographs of popular performers, posters of popular movies, designs of popular characters, and the works of popular artists. At this time, such copyrighted images can only be acquired in printed form through the stores of authorized distributors.
There is, however, a very large number of users who would be delighted to be able to acquire these types of copyrighted images easily using their own computers, through the Internet and without having to go to a store. Many copyright holders would also like to sell their work through the Internet to a large number of users and get high profits if copyright protection could be insured.
Furthermore, prints of copyrighted images provided to the market at this time do not necessarily satisfy user requirements because the designs and layouts are already established. For example, a calendar including photographs of a performer or a postcard including images of an animation character may in many cases not be purchased, even if the user is interested in the artist or character itself, because the user is not interested in the paper size, calendar design, or printed text.
Also, it is common knowledge that machines, with which people and their friends can take their picture and print it out in the form of a sticker including decorative designs, are very popular with young people. Demand for copyrighted images can be expected to increase even more if copyrighted images could be easily acquired for the purpose of creating private photographs or images. However, at this time there is no technology that can make possible easy use of copyrighted images for this purpose, while ensuring copyright protection.
Also, a large number of image-distributing servers is present on the Internet. Conventionally, images distributed from an Internet server were displayed with small quantities of data appropriate for the narrow bandwidth of the communication path and therefore user systems that downloaded those images could only print out low-quality images.
Also, conventional image servers use a mechanism of initially displaying the images that can be provided in the form of small thumbnail images and sending the real image data to the user's computer when the user clicks on the thumbnail. However, even looking at the small thumbnail image, the user cannot correctly determine whether he or she really wants that image. It is therefore often the case that the user realizes that he or she does not want the image after starting to download the real image. For this reason, the user wastes download time and communication costs, as well as image fees if it is a chargeable image.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to make possible the distribution of digital content managed under copyright to a large number of users through a communications network, while ensuring copyright protection.
It is another object of the present invention to provide the digital content managed under copyright in a form that can be used by the user as the user desires, while ensuring copyright protection.
It is another object of the present invention to provide images, provided by a server on a communications network, in the form of a high image quality print to a user.
It is another object of the present invention to have images, provided by a server on a communications network, such that the user can properly determine whether he or she really wants these, before these are actually in the possession of the user.